Exception (Haven Point Book 2)

by Mariah Dietz

  I don’t have a reason, so I simply shrug. “We can delve into my psyche later.” I move to my dresser, where I finally unpacked my clothes a couple of days ago. I fish out the red bathing suit I’d bought in town, and close the door behind me to get changed in the bathroom.

  Once dressed, I find Violet in the hallway waiting for me, a sundress pulled over her suit.

  “Ready?”

  She nods.

  For as long as I can remember, I’ve run the path to the pond. Like it’s calling me, and I can’t get there fast enough, or because I’m in competition with Grace to see who’s faster. But Violet and I walk the path, her commenting on the wildlife and plants that I hardly notice anymore because of having seen them so many times. Towels are tucked beneath our arms, a suggestion she had that I rarely remember.

  “I understand why you chose to come back here rather than bunk on my couch,” Violet says. “This place is amazing. Everything’s so beautiful.”

  “It feels really weird being back,” I admit to her. “Things have changed so much, and then others haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Like your bedroom?” Violet teases, turning to face me, showing her smile.

  I laugh. “Exactly.”

  I’m aching to explain precisely what I mean, how I don’t know what to do now that I’m back—how permanent I should allow it to feel. Tell her how I’ve been debating reaching out to old friends and visiting places I used to frequent because I don’t know if people will remember who I am, and am even more afraid that they will and see how little I’ve accomplished. When I left Haven Point, no one seemed surprised. They each shared a similar sentiment about how I was too big for the town as they hugged me goodbye. Somehow, Haven Point grew much vaster and quicker than I did and has far more to show than me. But my tirade of thoughts end as we pass through the bracken, and Violet sucks in a quiet gasp.

  “How’d you ever leave?”

  We descend the slight bank and drop our towels under the large willow tree that always shades at least half of the pond.

  “We don’t have to worry about anything being in there, do we?”

  I shake my head. “Some fish, but that’s about it.”

  “No gators?”

  “Tell me you’re kidding.”

  “We’re in the South!”

  “We’re not,” I tell her, shaking my head again. “Some people talk with southern accents and wear a lot of camo, but we’re not part of the South.”

  Violet throws her head back and laughs. “So you quack like a duck, walk like a duck, and look like a duck, but you’re telling me you’re not a duck?”

  I kick off my shoes and laugh with her. “Something like that.”

  With my shorts and shirt resting on my shoes, I wait for Violet to finish getting undressed; the wind blows my hair, tickling my skin.

  “How is everything?” she asks, following me into the water. “I mean, with your sister and your parents.”

  I look back at Vi and shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t even know where they went.”

  “Why don’t you ask?”

  I shake my head. “That seems so simple, I know, but when they’re avidly pretending like it never happened, it almost feels like it didn’t. Like I made it all up in my head.”

  “Would you rather it felt like that?”

  “No!” The answer falls from me like a hot coal, sudden and immediate. “I hate not knowing.”

  “Kennedy, you have every right to ask.”

  “It’s just so hard to bring it up again when everything suddenly feels so right tonight, so normal. You know?”

  Violet cocks her head, considering my words. I can see the pro-and-con list starting as she debates my words and reasoning. Slowly, she nods and moves her attention to the pond. “So is this your secret spot?”

  “I wish. The guy I hit in the parking lot has been here twice this week.”

  Violet snaps her head to look at me, her eyebrows raised. “Really? Is he following you?”

  “No. He lives just over there.” I point across the pond. “It was a matter of time before he found it.”

  “So what happened with all of that?”

  “All of what?”

  “You hit him with your car, and that’s the last I heard. You guys are now talking? Are you friends?”

  “He’s . . .”

  “Oh.” Violet draws the single syllable out. “I see.”

  I pull my head back. “You see what?”

  “You think he’s hot.”

  “Is that what I said? Where in this conversation did you hear me say I think he’s attractive?”

  “The fact that you’re taking way too long to tell me anything about him.”

  “He’s a cop from DC with an ego that is literally bigger than this pond.” I stretch my arms in a circular motion to emphasize the fact.

  A smile tips her lips into a teasing line. “You realize you’re not disputing that he’s attractive, right?”

  I hit the water with an open palm, creating a splash that makes her laugh. “Yes. Yes, I do, because he is hot. And he likely has a thousand women who tell him he’s hot on a daily basis. And I do not wish to be number one thousand and one.”

  “Twenty bucks says you kiss before the end of the month.”

  I close my eyes and shake my head.

  “Oh my God, you kissed!” She begins laughing.

  “No!” My cheeks warm.

  She laughs harder. “When? How?”

  I lift my hands and shift them forward and backward, unable to explain either of those questions.

  “I’m getting you a pin. Would you prefer one of one thousand and one or just one thousand and one?”

  Her laughter grows raucous when I roll my eyes, unable to come up with an adequate comeback.

  As if on cue, a branch snaps, and someone emerges from the far end of the woods. My heart drums, expecting Joey.

  “Jelly Bean, the town’s gonna start callin’ you fish soon.”

  My heart falls back into its natural rhythm as Jackson wanders closer to the pond. “Hey, Jackson.”

  “I was going to cut through the woods and check on you guys, but I thought I might find you here,” he says, stopping when he reaches the edge of the pond. “You must be Violet.”

  Violet smiles and nods. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Jackson nods once and turns his attention back to me.

  “Check on us?” I ask. “What’s going on?”

  “The power’s out. A full blackout.”

  “But there’s no storm. It’s not even raining.” I look to the sky, where the sun hangs so low, the trees hide the orange sphere.

  Jackson scratches the back of his head. “It’s on its way. You know how fast the weather around here changes.”

  I look to Violet and frown. “Welcome to Haven Point.”

  “I’m sure it won’t take long to get it restored,” she says.

  “Depends on how far it reaches and how bad the storm is,” Jackson explains. “Haven Point is a small tick on the map, so it might take a while.”

  “It will be like camping.” Violet’s voice is high, trying to be optimistic.

  “Have you ever camped in hundred-degree heat while it floods and there’s nothing to do?” Jackson asks.

  Violet turns to me, her eyes round with terror.

  “You’re not helping,” I tell him.

  “Is it safe to be here? Should we drive toward DC?”

  Jackson plucks a couple of leaves from the willow tree our things are sitting under. “We’ll be fine, but we should head back to Jelly Bean’s house before it gets too dark or the storm comes. They’re predicting winds over sixty miles per hour and flash flooding.”

  Violet’s wide eyes are barely a thought as I consider if Joey has heard the news and if they’re okay.

  We wade out of the pond as a curtain of dark clouds appears from the west. Violet hastily towels herself dry before tugging her sundress over her head.

  “
We’re okay,” I assure her. “You don’t have to rush.”

  “I’m a city girl, born and raised. I don’t do thunderstorms while standing in a forest of potential lightning rods.”

  If I had thought to grab my phone before leaving the house, I’d shoot Joey a text and warn him about the impending storm. “Jackson, will you take Violet back to the house? I’ll catch up with you guys.”

  “What? Where are you going?” Violet stares at me, her dark hair wet and plastered to her shoulders.

  “I just need to check on something really fast. I’ll be there before the storm comes.”

  “Jelly Bean, it’s a blackout. You won’t be able to see once the sun sets.”

  “These woods never have lights in them,” I remind Jackson. “Trust me, I’ll be fine.”

  Hesitancy has Jackson standing in place. I avoid looking to him, knowing if I do he’ll hit me with an arsenal of reasons why I should be going with him, starting with my mom will worry about me and continuing on to how my dad will be upset.

  Thunder echoes in the distance. Violet screams.

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” I tell Jackson. “You guys go!”

  I pull on my tennis shoes, my shorts and shirt sticking to me as my bathing suit bleeds through them, leaving unattractive circles over my chest.

  “Jelly Bean . . .”

  “I’ll see you in ten!” I yell over my shoulder and then dash toward the woods so he can’t object further.

  Chapter 14

  Joey

  “For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, flipping the light switch off and on half a dozen times to no avail.

  With a flashlight in hand so I can see the fuse box, I head toward the garage and stop when another clap of thunder is quickly followed by a knock on the front door. Coen, Ella, and Hayden left after the insulation team did, suggesting I relax and enjoy the takeout Chinese they ordered for me. I was planning on doing just that once I finished getting the Sheetrock in the living room up, but then the damn lights went out.

  I swing the door open and come face-to-face with Kennedy. Her hair is still pulled back in the same braid I tugged this morning, but it’s now wet. She’s breathing hard, and her legs are covered with small leaves and bits of grass.

  My heart staggers and then pounds. “Are you okay?” I ask, pulling her inside and glancing around the yard behind her.

  “Yeah.” She runs a hand over the top of her head, slicking small pieces of hair that had fallen loose from her braid. “Sorry to bother you guys, I just want to make sure you knew about the storm coming since the power went out. I knew you guys were operating with kind of limited resources over here.”

  “Is that what killed the power?”

  Kennedy nods. “I heard it’s a blackout.”

  Thunder echoes again, rumbling for several seconds before the skies appear to part, and rain pours down, ricocheting off the doorstep and into the house. I pull Kennedy farther into the house and close the door to keep it from seeping inside.

  “Shit, did it get dark fast.”

  “Do you guys have flashlights?” she asks.

  “I have one in my truck.”

  “If you give me your keys, I’ll grab it. I’m already soaked.”

  “I’ll get it. You head toward the garage. The door’s unlocked.”

  Kennedy’s eyebrows rise high with question. “The garage?”

  “I’m staying in the room above it. There’s nothing in here. No furniture, food, nothing.”

  “Where are Coen and Ella and Hayden?” She looks past me into the house.

  “They went to North Carolina for a couple of days. Hayden’s dad lives down there, and they’ve been working on the visitation.”

  “Oh.” She runs her hand over her wet hair again as her eyes dart around the room. It’s clear this visit was impulsive and has her uncomfortable.

  “Run toward the garage,” I tell her again, bringing her to focus back on me.

  “That’s okay. I just wanted to make sure you guys were okay and prepared for the storm. It can take the city a while to get power back.”

  “Wait until the rain lets up, and I’ll drive you home.”

  “It’s okay. Like I said, I’m already soaked.”

  Thunder rumbles again, so loud the house shakes. Lightning quickly chases it.

  “Yeah, you’re not running through the woods right now. That lightening is close.”

  “The chances of getting hit by lightning are slim to zero.”

  “Yet it still happens. Plus, it’s going to be slipperier than snot out there.” I open the front door, and the rain falls in sheets.

  “On the count of three.”

  “One—”

  “Three!” Kennedy yells, then bolts, racing toward the garage.

  I pull the door closed behind me and lock it out of habit before sprinting to my truck, the rain quickly dousing me and making visibility nearly impossible. The light turns on as soon as the driver’s side door is open, and I contemplate if we should wait out the storm in here, where we can use the air conditioning and lights. Another crack of thunder hits, and it’s as though it flips a switch in the sky, the winds turn direction, hitting me from the side. A loud snap is followed by a thud as a tree branch falls. I snatch the flashlight from under my seat and run toward the garage, where Kennedy is waiting with the door held slightly ajar.

  The flashlight provides a small tunnel of light amid the cramped space that is currently stacked with boxes of Ella and Coen’s things that didn’t fit into the large storage units.

  “The stairs are over to our left,” I tell her, pointing the flashlight in the direction we need to go.

  Slowly, Kennedy moves toward them, looking more hesitant than she had when I suggested she stay.

  Water drips from both of us as we climb the steep wooden steps.

  “Go on in, it’s open.”

  Kennedy turns the handle, her movements stalled by uncertainty.

  I want to ask her what has her so timid. If it’s me or the storm or simply the situation that has her so uncomfortable, but I stop when I consider Arianna or one of my other sisters in this same situation. How would I feel about the guy if I heard the story of what Kennedy and I have shared? What would I think about him if I knew they’d spent so little time together, and he’d seen her topless and was insisting she stay with him in the middle of a storm with no one else around?

  Then the realization that Kennedy chose to come here, just like I chose to go into the hardware store this morning when I didn’t have an excuse or reason aside from seeing her.

  How can I be nearing thirty-four and still not understand women?

  “Come on in.” My fingers brush her lower back as I move around her, shining the flashlight around the small space that’s perfumed with the scents of Chinese food. “Welcome to my abode.”

  Kennedy laughs quietly, following the light with her eyes. “I had no idea this place was up here.”

  “I think it’s the sole reason Coen bought this place. He wanted to make sure if any of our family ever came to stay with him, we’d be far, far away.” The skies are a deep gray, filtering enough light in through the windows that we’d be able to see without the flashlight, but I leave it on.

  Kennedy smiles. “Everyone needs one of these.”

  “Are you hungry? Ella and Coen dropped off some Chinese food before they left, and Coen always orders for a family of ten.”

  She stays still, shaking her head. “I actually ate before we went to the pond.” Her eyes round. “Shoot! Can I use your phone? I need to contact my mom or Violet and let them know I’m okay.”

  “Yeah.” I retrieve it from my back pocket. “Of course.”

  Kennedy cradles my phone, staring at the screen, which has a picture of all my siblings and me. She lifts her eyes to mine, a smile teasing her lips. “Is this your family?”

  “The whole lot. This is Arianna, my twin sister—”

  “You have a twin sister?”

 
I nod. “And this is Mia, and Sofia, and Cariana.” I stare at the picture for a moment, recalling the moment it was taken. The jokes Coen had been making that Mom was threatening him for. “Cariana passed away a few weeks after this was taken.”

  Kennedy’s gaze snaps to mine, surprise and sorrow has her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m so sorry,” she says. “I had no idea.”

  I shake my head. “I appreciate it.”

  “And that”—I point to where Coen is flexing, a ridiculous and cheesy grin covering his face—“is Coen.”

  She laughs, likely getting a better understanding of the goofball my younger brother often is. “You guys look so happy.”

  “We’re lucky. I know lots of people who have siblings they barely speak to, but we all genuinely like each other. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there are times we still yell and scream at each other, but all in all we enjoy spending time together. Like you and Grace.”

  Kennedy stares at the screen again.

  “You should call them. Let them know I’ll bring you home once it dies down. If this is anything like DC, the weather will change in about five minutes.”

  She dials a number and then places the phone to her ear, and I wonder whom she decided to reach out to. Whom does she trust and rely on?

  “Hey, Mom. It’s me, Kennedy.”

  Her mom’s voice is muffled as she says something that has Kennedy nodding. “Yeah, I’m over at the DeLucas’. This is Joey’s phone.” She nods again. “Yeah, I didn’t know if they had a radio or anything going, and the storm touched down right after I got here.” She pauses again, nodding some more. “Yeah. I will. I’ll be home as soon as it slows.” Her head pulls back, and she looks toward the large window over my bed. “Really?” Her voice rises as her eyes widen, stopping on me. “Is everyone okay?” She waits again. “Okay. Well, if you need to get a hold of me, you’ll have to call me on this number. I left mine at the house.” Again, she nods. “Okay. Bye, Mom.”

  Kennedy extends the phone to me and brushes the side of her face, as if she’s expecting to push up her glasses that are missing due to her having gone to the pond.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Her wide green eyes seem larger with the dimmed lighting drawing attention to each of her features, which I trace with my eyes. “They said several trees have fallen and that we need to stay put. That the weather advisory says it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”